LONDON, August 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Forget those sassy siren Spaniards and the Gallic chic of French women - we British women are officially the most glamorous in Europe - if you measure glamour by the size of our high heels.

If you often find yourself rubbing sore feet after a long day at work, or kicking off your shoes under the desk, it may be because you're sporting a towering 3.3 inch heel. And that's only the average heel height worn by women in the UK!^[i]

3,792 women across five European countries: France, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the UK, were questioned in a survey by footcare company COMPEED^®[i].

As well as clocking up the highest average heel height - compared to Spanish women at 3.2 inches, Danish at 3, German at 2.7 and French at 2.4 inches - one quarter of British women questioned admitted that they often wear 4 to 6 inch heels, with a few hundred women (3%) tottering along in towering structures which give them another 6 inches in height^[ii].

British women wear the highest heels because they are among the shortest women in Europe, measuring up to an average of 163 cm compared to 164 cm in Spain and an impressive 168 cm in Germany^[ii].

Psychologist, Emma Kenny explains: "Research has suggested that a tall woman is considered more assertive, confident, richer, capable, successful, independent and even more intelligent than their shorter peers. Perception is incredibly powerful and it makes sense that the feedback we receive from the way we are treated by others will reinforce our choices. The British woman is an ambitious breed, and if putting on a pair of six inch heels increases their career prospects, rightly or wrongly, the savvy individual will do so"^[iv].

Unsurprisingly, our enthusiasm for dashing about in incredibly high heels takes its toll on our tootsies. 50% of women have confessed that they are happy to suffer terrible pain from wearing their beloved heels - pain that might be as bad as a toothache or earache^[iii].

We know that this is not simply because British woman are slaves to fashion. We want to appear confident, successful and independent. Thankfully, COMPEED^® products provide a practical and highly effective solution for blisters, bunions, corns and cracked heels.

"As long as we take appropriate measures to protect our feet from common ailments such as blisters, corns, bunions and cracked heels, British women should continue to be unstoppable, keep calm and carry on," says Sandra Chatelain, a COMPEED^® spokesperson.

Lorraine Jones, member of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists says "As a podiatrist I recognise that with fashion as it is, wearing foot-friendly shoes is not always easy. However, wearing fashionable shoes occasionally is fine, and here are plenty of easy foot care treatments available at the local pharmacy that can help treat feet at home and avoid a trip to the podiatrist's clinic. The bonus is that with healthy feet, a woman can stand as tall as she wants in the highest of heels".

^[i] Compeed Feet Survey April 2012, Q.7

^[ii] Sole to Sole Research Prepared by StrategyOne - April 2012, Q.7 (Of the 3792 women questioned, 1000 were British.)

^[iii] Compeed Feet Survey April 2012, Q.9

^[iv] Dr Simon Chu. Heightism colours view of women's talents. Universities of Liverpool and Central Lancashire, England. February 2005. http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/heightism-colours-view-of-women-s-talents-1.233289#.T-SOxSp5mc0

SOURCE Compeed, part of the Johnson and Johnson family